Renibacterium salmoninarum vaccine

ABSTRACT

The invention provides an immune stimulating agent or vaccine directed to  Renibacterium salmoninarium  comprising a live non-virulent culture of an  Arthrobacter  strain based on derived from or substantially homologous with strain RSxII as deposited as ATCC 55921. The culture may be presented in lyophilised form with a sterile diluent.

Protection of farmed fish against bacterial disease caused by Renibacterium salmoniarun by the use of a live strain of Arthrobacter spp. The working designation of this species, RSxII, is used through this document.

This invention relates to the protection of farmed fish against disease caused by the bacterial species Renibacterium salmoninarum. This disease colloquially named bacterial kidney disease or BKD from some aspects of it pathology, is one of the most economically serious diseases in salmonoid culture. Conservative estimates suggest that losses on the west coast of Canada exceed 20 million dollars annually. Similar problems have occurred in Chile and the Pacific coast of the USA. The farming of some species, such as Chinook and Coho salmon, has become economically unsustainable in these areas due to this disease. In cooler waters such as Easter Canada and Northern Europe, the disease is characterised by less severe symptoms and gives rise generally to chronic infections. The consequent poor growth performance and increased susceptibility to concurrent disease cause a high economic loss in these industries also.

A number of the standard methods for the production of effective vaccines have been used in efforts to provide protection against Renibacterium salmoninarum. Generally these have proved to be ineffective and, where successes have been reported by particular groups, these have provided unreplicable in the hands of others. Such methods have employed killed cells and cell fragments with or without adjuvants.

The key factor in this lack of success is probably the ability of Renibacterium to survive and possibly multiply within the macrophages of the host fish. In this situation it is protected from the main immune systems of the host. Constant “leakage” of cells from the macrophages causes a low-level persistent infection which constantly challenges the fish immune system. Controlling this under normal conditions lowers the fitness of the animal and, if a further environmental or disease stress occurs, the Renibacterial cells may initiate a more damaging infection. Sometime during this process a full immune response may be mounted to the disease but this proves to be ineffective since large quantities of a 57000 kilodalton protein are produced by Renibacterium which induces the production of large quantities of antibodies which are not protective. The “preoccupation” of the humoral immune system with this protein prevents an effective response being made to other components of the bacteria which might confer protection. The p57 protein therefore acts as an effective decoy.

The most successful of the approaches to vaccination against Renibacterium have all used Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA). This aids in the effective presentation of antigens to the T-cells in the normal way but is also, independently, a powerful stimulator of the non-specific cellular immune responses. FCA contains cell wall fragments obtained from species of Corynebacterium. The taxonomic relationships between bacteria recognised under this and associated genera are not clear and Renibacteria were originally classified as Corynebacteria. Some strains of Renibacteria also have powerful stimulators of non-specific immunity on their cell surfaces further suggesting a close taxonomic relationship. The closely relates genus Arthrobacter also contains species which have similarly reactive groups on their surface capable of stimulating non-specific immunity. Cells of this genus, not capable of causing disease but containing such groups on their surface and probably also antigens in common with Renibacterium, might reasonably be expected to stimulate powerful specific and non-specific immunity conferring protection against disease. The use of such Arthrobacter as live cells, capable of surviving inside macrophages, would prolong the stimulation and extend protection for a commercially acceptable period of time.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved vaccine against Renibacterium salmonarium.

Accordingly the present invention provides an immune stimulating agent or vaccine comprising a live, non-virulent culture of an Arthrobacter strain.

The invention further provides a vaccine directed to Renibacterium salmoninarium comprising a live non virulent culture of an Arthrobacter strain.

Preferably, the Arthrobacter strain is based on or is derived from strain RSxII, as deposited under Accession No ATCC 55921 with the America Type Culture Collection on 20 Dec. 1996.

Suitably the strain is characterised by a partial 16s DNA sequence derived from the following: GAGTTTGATCCTGGCTCAGGATGAACGCTGGCGGCGTGCTTAACACATGC AAGTCGAACGATGAACCTGTGCTTGCACGG GGGATTAGTGGCGAACGGGTGAGTAACACGTGAGTAACCTGCCCTTGACT TCGGGATAAGCCTGGGAAACTGGGTCTAAT ACTGGATACGACCTCTCATCGCATGGTGTCCCCCTGGAAAGTTTTTGCGG TTTTGGATGGACTCGCGGCCTATCAGCTTG TTGGTGAGGTAATGGCTCACCAAGGCGACGACGGGTAGCCGGCCTGAGAG GGTGACCGGCCACACTGGGACTGAGACACG GCCCAGACTCCTACGGGAGGCAGCAGTGGGGAATATTGCACAATGGGCGA AAGCCTGATGCAGCGACGCCGCGTGAGGGA CGACGGCCTTCGGGTTGTAAACCTCTTTCAGTAGGGAACAAGGCATCATT TTTGTGGTGTTGAGGGTACTTGCAGAAGAA GCACCGGCTAACTACGTGCCAGGCGCCGCGGTAATACGTAGGGTGCAAGC GTTATCCGGAATTATTGGGCGTAAAGAGCT CGTAGGCGGTTTGTCGCGTCTTTCGTGAAAGTCCGGGGCTCAACTCCGGA TCTTCGGTGGGTACGGGCAGACTAGAGTGA TGTAGGGGAGACTGGAATTCCTGGTGTAGCGGTGGAATGCGCAGATATCA GGAGGAACACCGATGGCGAAGGCAGGTCTC TGGGCATTAACTGACGCTGAGGAGCGAAAGCATGGGGAGCGAACAGGATT AGATACCCTGGTAGTCC

The invention further provides a pharmaceutical preparation comprising a live, non-virulent culture of an Arthrobacter strain.

Suitably the preparation can be used to provide protection against Renibacterium salmonarium.

The strain may be characterised by any or all of the following:

-   -   1. Positive gram-stain; easily discoloured     -   2. Non-motile     -   3. The cells, in the log phase of growth, are 0.8-1.2×1.0-8.0 μm         often V-shaped with clubbed ends. As growth proceeds into         stationary phase the rods segment into small cocci, 0.6-1.0 μm         in diameter.

4. The enzymatic reactions used in diagnosis are as follows where + indicates positive, − indicates negative and (+) indicates a weak positive: i) Alkaline phosphatase + ii) Butyrate esterase (C₄) + iii) Caprylate esterase (C₈) + iv) Myristate lipase (C₁₄) − v) Leucine arylamidase + vi) Valine arylamidase (+) vii) Cystine arylamidase − Viii) Trypsin + ix) Chymostrypsin − x) Acid Phosphatase + xi) Phosphoamidase − xii) α-Galactosidase − xiii) β-Galactosidase (+) xiv) β-Glucuronidase + xv) α-Glucosidase + xvi) β-Glucosidase − xvii) N-Acetyl-β-glucosamidase − xviii) α-Mannosidase + xix) α-Fucosidase −

-   -   5. Catalase Reaction Positive     -   6. Oxidase Reaction Negative

Suitably the immune stimulating agent/vaccine is presented as a lyophilised culture.

Preferably the vaccine comprises a lyophilised culture in combination with a sterile diluent.

The immune stimulating agent/vaccine may be administered by standard methods of vaccination.

The invention also comprises the use of an immune stimulating agent/vaccine as hereinbefore defined for the protection of salmonoid fish against Renibacterium salmoninarum.

The invention is an immune-stimulating agent or vaccine comprised of a live, non-virulent culture of an Arthrobacter species. It would be presented as a lyophilised culture in a ready to use form in a sterile diluent to be administered by any of the standard methods used for the vaccination of fish.

Efficacy

-   -   1. The strain RSxII shares highly specific antigenic         determinants with R, salmoninarum. Polyclonal antisera raised         against R. Salmoninarum has a high, cross-reactive titre against         whole cells of RSxII in an ELISA test system.     -   2. RSxII has been shown to stimulate the immune system of         Atlantic salmon as demonstrated by lymphocyte proliferation         assays.     -   3. It has been repeatedly shown that in direct challenge (in         vivo) studies Atlantic salmon infected at 12-14 weeks by         peritoneal injection with the pathogen were protected. The size         of salmon ranged from 20-100 g in different trials and         protection was measured here by the extent of recovery of live         bacteria from the anterior kidney, the commonest focus of         infection in fish affected by this disease. Using relative         percent culture activity (RPCA) as an index protection ranged         from 57-87% in trials where the level of infection in         non-vaccinated fish was always greater than 80%. RPCA is derived         as follows:         ${RPCA} = {1 - {\frac{\left\lbrack {\%\quad{fish}\quad{cultured}\quad{positive}\quad{in}\quad{vaccinates}} \right\rbrack}{\left\lbrack {\%\quad{fish}\quad{cultured}\quad{positive}\quad{in}\quad{controls}} \right\rbrack} \times 100}}$     -   4. PCR was used to assess the presence of DNA of the pathogen         shed by fish into the holding water as a further, very sensitive         measure, of the presence of the pathogen in treated and control         populations. Whereas DNA was present in the holding water of         non-vaccinated fish it was present as a trace or absent from         that of the vaccinates. The levels correlated well with the         levels obtained by the culture technique validating that method.         -   The vaccine disclosed herein protects fish against             Renibacterium salmoninarum to a greater extent than             consistently achieved previously by any other formulation or             method.         -   It is protective rather than a treatment and therefore             reduces the changes of an infection becoming established,             reduces or eliminates the requirement for drug therapy and             promotes growth by retaining the fish at a higher level of             fitness.         -   Unlike drug treatment it poses no risk to the environment             since the invention comprises an organism isolated from the             natural environment and which has been shown to be             non-pathogenic for other animal species.         -   It can be administered concurrently with other vaccines             within the standard routine of farm husbandry. 

1-23. (canceled)
 24. A method of inducing an immune response in fish comprising administering an effective immunizing dose of an Arthrobacter species to said fish.
 25. The method of claim 24 further comprising administering an adjuvant to said fish.
 26. The method of claim 24 wherein said Arthrobacter species has a partial 16s DNA sequence that is similar to the polynucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
 1. 27. The method of claim 24 wherein said Arthrobacter species has one or more of the following characteristics selected from the group consisting of (a) positive gram stain, easily discolored; (b) nonmotile; (c) in log phase growth, the cells are between approximately 0.8 and 1.2 μm by between approximately 1.0 and 8.0 μm, are often V-shaped with clubbed end; (d) as the organism approaches stationary phase, the rods segment into small cocci of approximately 0.6 to 1.0 μm in diameter; (e) catalase reaction positive; (f) oxidase reaction positive; (g) are positive to enzymatic reactions with alkaline phosphates, butyrate esterase, caprylate esterase, leucine arylamidase, trypsin, acid phosphatase, β-glucuronidase, α-glucosidase, and α-mannosidase; (h) are negative to enzymatic reactions with myristate lipase, cystine arylamidase, chymostrypsin, phosphoamidase, α-galactosidase, β-glucosidase, N-acetyl-β-glucosamidase, and α-fucosidase; and (i) are weakly positive to enzymatic reactions with valine arylamidase and β-galactosidase.
 28. The method of claim 24 wherein said Arthrobacter species has similar physical characteristics as Arthrobacter strain RSxII (ATCC Deposit Accession No ATCC 55921).
 29. The method of claim 24 wherein said Arthrobacter species is Arthrobacter strain RSxII (ATCC Deposit Accession No ATCC 55921). 